“Besides love and sympathy, animals exhibit other qualities connected with the social instincts which in us would be called moral.” ― Charles Darwin
The Kingdom of Animalia is always surprising. Every day, we learn about new and interesting animals. Sometimes, scientists also discover animals that are hybrids of two types of animals.
Some of these animals are born naturally, and there are also creatures born as a result of scientific experiments done by us humans. If you’re curious to learn more about the wild world of animals, here are 35 unique hybrids!
1. Long-horned Beefalo
Beef was scarce way back in the 19th century. To solve the problem, scientists decided to cross an American Buffalo and domestic cattle. That experiment led us to have beefalos that have a pretty decent chunk of beef.
Source:
Flickr/Mark Spearman
2. The Mighty Liger
This is probably the best-known animal hybrid. Ligers are a result of a male lion and a female tiger crossed together. They grow much bigger than their parents and they are often believed to be the largest known cat in the world.
Source:
Flickr/Ali West
3. Don’t mess with the Grolar Bear
Sometimes called Pizzly bears, these animals are a mix of a polar and grizzly bear. These two do not usually meet in the wild — it’s a miracle that this happened. They are brownish-white in color and have long sharp claws.
Source:
Wikipedia
4. Dzo in the cold mountains
This cattle is a mix of domestic cattle and a yak. They originated in Mongolia and can survive in different climates. This hybrid also produces a lot of milk and meat compared to its parents.
Source:
Flickr/Petr Meissner
5. Mysterious and cunning Jaglion
A jaglion is an offspring of a male jaguar and a lioness. Some say this was not scientifically created — this breed was a love child of a jaguar and a lion in captivity. You can find this unique hybrid at the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario, Canada.
Source:
Facebook/Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary
6. If there is a Liger there should be a Tigon
If a liger is born from a male lion and a female tiger, a tigon is the opposite. What you see in the photo is the result of a male tiger and a lioness being crossed. This tigon is being raised in captivity because it is almost impossible for its parents to mate in the wild.
Source:
Imgur/ohmyimaginaryfriend
7. Hey, Look! It’s a Zonkey
If a zebra and a donkey fall in love, they produce an offspring called a Zonkey. Since the zebras are relatively close to donkeys when it comes to its behavior there’s no doubt that they would be able to cross. This young Zonkey has the zebra’s black and white stripes and the donkey’s brown hair.
Source:
Boredpanda
8. What a cute Geep
Some say the sheep symbolizes good and the goat symbolizes evil. How about the geep? In this photo is a goat-sheep offspring, which is sometimes called a geep or a shoat. This hybrid is so cute you might want to take it home as a pet.
Source:
Facebook/My Petting Zoo
9. Let’s go into deep with the Narluga
Deep down in the ocean you’ll find an unusual creature that looks like a narwhal or a beluga. Scientists discovered that both the narwhal and beluga were known to mate before and their offspring is called narluga. These extremely rare marine creatures can be seen in the North Atlantic.
Source:
Boredpanda
10. It’s the Cama eating hay
What happens when you cross a camel and a llama? You get a cama. A camel is much bigger than the llama so having a cama by normal means is impossible. To make this possible, the hybrid needs to be produced by artificial insemination.
Source:
Boredpanda
11. The strong Zubron
Just like the dzo and the beefalo, the zubron belongs to the family of cattle. Zubrons are created when a cow and European bison are crossed together. They grow much larger and stronger than their parents.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
12. Let’s ride a Zorse!
By using the somatic hybridization by Charles Darwin, a zorse was born. This one can be seen at Zoo Safaripark Stuckenbrock in Germany. Is it possible for a human to ride a zorse?
13. The super expensive Savannah cat
A savannah cat is a result of a serval and a domestic cat mixed together. They’re agile, they’re not afraid to dip into the water, and they wag their tails just like dogs. Since these are very difficult to breed, they’re very expensive.
Source:
Wikipedia
14. The Majestic Leopon
You can easily recognize a leopard because of its unique markings on its fur, and lions are famous for their manes. This hybrid is called the leopon, it is the offspring of a male leopard and a lioness. Its head resembles the lion while the body resembles the leopard.
Source:
Facebook/AsapSCIENCE
15. Delicious Mulard
The mulard is a hybrid between a domestic duck and a domestic mallard. It’s being bred to produce high-quality meat and eggs.
Source:
Wikipedia
16. The lone Wolfdog
Thi may look exactly like a dog, but what you see in the photo is a wolfdog. A wolfdog is born when a domestic dog and a wild wolf mate. You can have a wolfdog as a pet but they can be very aggressive and not easy to control.
Source:
Wikipedia
17. Hardworking Mule
When a male donkey and a female horse mate, they produce a mule. They are very reliable animals who are used for transportation, to carry things for tourists, and for farm work. They live longer than normal horses and donkeys and it’s easier to obtain them than it its to get hinnies.
Source:
Wikipedia
18. Super rare Coywolf
This animal DNA’s includes a mixture of western coyotes, domestic dogs, and a wolf. This photo is one of the winners in the 2018 Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competition. It looks like a regular coyote but scientists found out it was a very rare breed when they checked its DNA.
19. Dive with the Wholphin
You might think it is just an ordinary dolphin doing some shows in front of people. But no, this is a Wholphin — it’s the offspring of a female bottlenose dolphin with a male false killer whale as its mate. This photo was taken at Sea Life Park in Hawaii with its trainer Emmalee Speer.
20. Elegant-looking Bengal cat
This unique feline has its own Instagram page that you might want to check out. His name is Caesar and he is a friendly Bengal cat. It’s a crossbreed of a domestic cat and a leopard. It can easily be distinguished by its fur with wild markings.
21. Small but very reliable Hinny
Hinnies are the opposite of Mules. If mules are a cross between a male donkey and a female horse, the hinnies are created by crossing a male horse and female donkey. They might be smaller but they can definitely travel long distances.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
22. That’s a meaty Iron Age pig
What you see here is the offspring of a domestic pig and a wild boar. Originally it was bred because of its meat. This swine that has the DNA of a wild boar is very hard to tame.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
23. The beautiful Zebroid
A Zebra that’s crossed with other equine is called a Zebroid. It’s a very beautiful creature to look at but it is very hard to tame. You might want to bring one whole sack of carrots to be able to catch it.
Source:
Boredpada
24. Exotic and amazing Hybrid Iguana
Who loves exotic animals? This is what we call the hybrid iguana — a result of a male marine iguana and a female land iguana being crossed. They can live in the land and can also swim.
Source:
Wikipedia
25. Wild Yakalo strolling in the forest
Here is another hybrid representing the family of cattle, the Yakalo. This is a result of a yak and an American bison being crossed through experiments. It’s strong and can survive hot and cold climates.
Source:
Pinterest/Ryan Cox
26. Dog lovers need a Coydog
Earlier, we learned about the coywolf and the wolfdog. Now here is another canine that can become a household pet, a coydog. It’s a cross between a coyote and a dog.
Source:
Pinterest/Wesley C.
27. Representing the marsupials of Australia, the Red-grey kangaroo
This little one is the result of a grey kangaroo and a red kangaroo being crossed. Red and grey kangaroos live on opposite sides of Australia so it is very rare for them to meet, but a miracle happened and two were able to produce an offspring. However, this kangaroo in the photo seems to be the last one of its kind.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
28. Do you want to eat an edible frog?
Yes it’s edible and is a delicacy in Europe, particularly in France. This the offspring of a marsh frog and a pool frog. The way their hybridization occurs is different and complicated compared to the other species on this list.
Source:
Wikipedia
29. For fish lovers, the Blood Parrot Cichlid
This fish is very hard to feed because of its mouth. Their mouth has a narrow vertical opening, and it’s a deformity that happens when a Midas and a parrot cichlid are crossed together. It is very pretty to look at but it is very hard to take care of it.
Source:
Wikipedia
30. A Dingo-dog has cat-like abilities
Want a dog with some cat-like abilities? A dingo-dog is a result of dingoes and domestic dogs being crossed together, particularly in Australia. They come in different colors and body shapes, but because they have the dingo DNA, they move swiftly and can jump high, just like cats.
Source:
Wikipedia
31. Killer bees actually exist
Who would have thought that there is actually an insect called the “killer bee.” This bee is also called the Africanized bee, and it’s a result of a Western honey bee and an East African lowland honey bee crossing together. They dwell in warmer environments, especially in some parts of South America.
Source:
Wikipedia
32. It’s not chorizo, its Huarizo
This creature right here is the most common hybrid between the South American camelids. Huarizos are a result of a male llama and a female alpaca that cross together. Their hair is much longer and they are much smaller than the llamas.
Source:
Pinterest/Bruce Harlick
33. The Dwarf Pumpard
In the early 1900s, an unusual set of cubs were born at a zoo in Hamburg, Germany. They have long bodies just like a puma and have dots just like the leopard but are small. This hybrid is called a pumapard, which is a cross between a puma and a leopard.
Source:
Youtube Screenshot
34. Meow! It’s not ordinary, it’s a Chausie
Just like the Bengal cat and the Savannah Cat, a Chausie is a hybrid. They are a mix of jungle cats and domestic cats. They are commonly found in the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia.
Source:
Wikipedia
35. The Elysia Chlorotica slug
This hybrid has one of the hardest to pronounce names on the list. Slugs are also part of the Animalia kingdom and they belong to the Mollusca family. This creature is one part animal and one part plant — two branches of Mother Nature crossed together.
Source:
Wikipedia
It’s very interesting to know and learn about animals that you never knew that it existed. We’re sure that there are still species of hybrid animals that roam the earth waiting to be discovered.
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